A golf ball launch monitor is an electronic device for assisting a golfer in improving his or her game. More particularly, the monitor is used to analyze the initial path of the golf ball after it is struck by a golf club, and to present to the golfer the likely flight path information for the ball. Typically, the flight path information will include ball speed, ball direction, spin, and a projected flight path or distance. The launch monitor typically has an imager piece which couples to a processor and to a display. The imager piece is placed close to where the golfer is expected to hit the ball, with the imager's sensor directed toward the ball or tee.
Usually, the launch monitor is pre-aligned to a target line, with an optional step to change the target line. The monitor, based on the initial flight parameters and its current alignment, calculates the flight characteristics of the golf ball, including the ultimate position of the ball. Such a monitor is described in various previous patent applications by the inventor of the present invention, including U.S. Pat. No. 7,324,663 entitled “Flight Parameter Measurement System” and issued on Jan. 29, 2009, U.S. Pat. No. 7,292,711 entitled “Flight Parameter Measurement System” and issued on Nov. 6, 2007, U.S. Pat. No. 7,641,565 entitled “Method and Apparatus For Detecting The Placement of a Golf Ball for a Launch Monitor” and issued on Jan. 5, 2010, U.S. Pat. No. 7,497,780 entitled “Integrated Golf Ball Launch Monitor” and issued on Mar. 3, 2009, U.S. Pat. No. 7,540,500 entitled “Foldable Launch Monitor For Golf” and issued on Jun. 2, 2009, and U.S. Pat. No. 8,951,138 entitled “Golf Club Head Measurement System” and issued on Feb. 10, 2015; the contents of all these patents are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
However, a launch monitor can only predict the trajectory of a golf ball and not its actual trajectory. What is needed, therefore, is a system and method that tracks the actual trajectory and position of multiple golf balls.